Kpopper at Dokomi: More Than Just a Convention!

Hey, I’m Hyo.
I’m a designer for Kpopper and also an otaku. As a self-proclaimed hardcore geek, when I fall for a video game or animation, I tend to immerse myself in that world for 5 to 10 years.

Of course, I’m not just a normal fan, I also love cosplay. I find joy in creating wigs, weapons, and occasionally even costumes.

There was an event that I’ve always wanted to attend. Yeah, you probably guessed it from the title of this post – Dokomi. I’ve been so curious about it, especially because the European creators and cosplayers I follow on social media have been talking about it every year.

Aki and I decided in January 2023 to participate in Dokomi this year, and we started preparing little by little.

Living in Japan, I had to buy plane tickets, get Dokomi tickets, research hotels, etc…

Tip for booking accommodations
We booked our accommodation a month and a half in advance, but the only rooms left were extremely expensive… If you’re thinking about attending Dokomi next year, I’d advise you to book a nearby accommodation as early as possible!

The weather in Japan where I live is very hot in June and July, so I prepared characters and costumes for a two-day cosplay that wouldn’t overheat. But this did not go as I expected…

Anyway, I boarded the plane to Germany and a week after arriving, Aki and I headed to Düsseldorf.

After about 3 hours on the ICE train… it was already past 10 in the evening when we finally arrived in Düsseldorf.
We headed straight to the hotel and quickly went to sleep to prepare for the next day.

On the first day, Dokomi didn’t start until 1 in the afternoon, so we had plenty of time to prepare.

But we were so hungry in the morning, we went out for a walk… To our surprise, it was really cold. The highest temperature was 15 degrees…?

Aki and I, who had only brought short-sleeved t-shirts, were shivering as we went out and came back after buying breakfast. We started to worry about the next day’s cosplay.

When we headed to the station to catch the train, we began to see cosplayers here and there.

I didn’t cosplay on the first day, but seeing them started to get me excited.

The vibe at Dokomi on Friday, the first day of the three-day event, was really relaxed. The lines weren’t long, and there was no waiting time at all.

I was surprised as my experiences with game/anime events usually involve people crowding and waiting in long lines. It was much more pleasant than I expected.

We first hit the dance area where Kpop random dance events were taking place, and said hi to the event hosts. From the get-go, there were showcases and random dance events which Aki didn’t want to miss, and she even recorded some footage. It was exciting to see so many passionate dancers right from the start.

We also took a tour around the vendor booths, doing some window-shopping and even a little bit of actual shopping.

We’d been introduced to a creator who was using Kpop artists as their subject matter, and made it a point to look for their booth. The booth was named Kiilea. We were able to find fan-art merchandise of NCT, Stray Kids, and Ateez members at her booth, which she brought all the way from Poland. Her vibrant and beautiful color scheme made for attractive fan-art!

In our browsing, we were also drawn to the booth of Shiroganejpg, a creator sporting a mushroom hat. We learned that she had crafted the hat herself. It was such a cute and cool costume.

Aki loves the series Dorohedoro, so when she found acrylic keychains and stickers, she was absolutely thrilled. It was the first time we’d found fan-art for Dorohedoro at a booth. We quickly bought gyoza keychains, art, and stickers.

I think it’s really great to be in a space where you can meet people who share a love for the same characters and series, and to be able to get hold of art made with such affection.

We even caught a glimpse of an Itasha being worked on, which we used to only see in Japan. Although Itasha can often be seen at Japanese events, this was the first time we’d actually seen one in the process of being made at Dokomi.

We also enjoyed seeing people having different experiences at the booths of famous companies. I was impressed by the number of booths offering experiences, ensuring people never had a dull moment.

After our first lap of the booths, we headed back to the hotel early to prepare for a fuller day ahead. Back at the hotel, I ironed the costumes for our cosplay. I was worried about the next day’s temperature as I was ironing…

Tip for cosplayers
When booking a hotel for Dokomi, it might be a good idea to choose one with an iron as an option or where you can rent one. After all, you’d want to give off a vibe similar to your character in neat clothing, rather than in wrinkled costumes at an event where so many fans gather for their favorite works, right?

We got up early the second day and hurriedly prepared our makeup for cosplay. We had prepared summer-feeling costumes anticipating hot weather, but just as we feared, it was very cold. Plus, it rained a lot in the morning, which lowered the temperature even more.

The only shirt I could layer was my pajama top, so I put that on as I left the hotel. But I didn’t regret this choice at all. It was so cold that there were actually many people who came out in long jackets. I was thankful that my wig was keeping me warm.

We arrived at the venue around 11 in the morning. The entrance line was much longer than on Friday and we had to wait a little bit. But it didn’t take more than 15 minutes and we were able to enter smoothly.

People were well-organized, and the fact that you never felt bored waiting to do something, left a big thumbs-up for Dokomi.

On the second day, we really dug into the dance area events. Lucky for us, the random dance on the second day was organized by K-Fusion, a group from Frankfurt, so we got to see more familiar faces.

Dancers we recognized from event videos made appearances in cosplay, and the cool costumes coupled with the choreography made the event super fun and energetic.

One big highlight of the Dokomi RPD is that they play track versions in Japanese that you wouldn’t typically hear in regular Kpop RPD, as well as popular anime themes, Vocaloid music, and Jpop idol music.

If Kpop has a lot of chic, cool vibes, Jpop is lively and cute. As someone who’s into both Kpop and Jpop, I loved the wide range of familiar music.

There were also showcases by various cover dance crews. People sat in the rest area or the dance area, enjoying and cheering on their performances.

There were also opportunities to learn how to dance at workshops. The workshop fees were already include in the Dokomi ticket. If you’re a beginner or want to learn dance choreographies, it might be fun to give it a go.

After filming the dance events, we took pictures of some awesome cosplayers. I approached cosplayers who were dressed in works I knew, or in costumes that had a lot of effort put into them. Everyone was very willing to have their photos taken, and even though we had just met, they were all very friendly and warm. I really loved that.

When you’re in Japan and you want to take photos at cosplay events, the vibe can be a little different. When someone they don’t know asks for a photo, people can be quite shy, and unintentionally come off as cold. This often scares me off.

But at Dokomi, everyone was warm and willing to have their photos taken. They even shared stories about their experiences making their costumes or works, which made for a really fun time.

The third day took a while to get ready in the morning because of the cosplay costume I had prepared for the first time. Aki wanted to start shooting at the dance area early, so we ended up moving separately.

I got to experience riding the German subway alone in cosplay for the first time. I felt a bit embarrassed because it’s a culture I’m not familiar with, and people were looking at me, but once I arrived at Düsseldorf Central Station, I was okay because there were many cosplayers hehe.

A little talk about cosplay culture difference
When cosplaying in Japan or Korea, there is always a changing room prepared at the event. It’s often a basic rule that cosplayers bring their costumes and change in the changing room. Using public transportation in cosplay is thought of as bad manners, so this part of the rule is pretty strict.

Finally, we entered on the last day, and immediately shot the last part at the dance area with Aki. As expected, the last day was incredibly crowded and the atmosphere was quite invigorating. Not only the people dancing but also those watching were all enjoying themselves. Although Aki and I only did shooting, we felt a joyful and happy energy from everyone.

We were able to return to the hotel after spending time with a lot of people who had joined us til almost the end of the event. Although we were tired from participating for three days straight, it was a special experience because of the warm people and well-managed convention.

Now let’s recap the good points I felt at Dokomi.

1. Spacious facilities and stress-free entry

The event venue was really large and there were a lot of spaces for people to rest, which was quite different from other events I’ve participated in in Japan. I saw people eating and resting at the plentifully prepared tables and benches when they were tired from watching.

Also, Dokomi had a good idea to prevent long lines from getting chaotic by admitting people in advance and making them wait in the outdoor venue.

The paths for people to move around were not narrow, and by operating the entrance gates in two places, they made sure people didn’t feel stressed right from the start. I think other events could learn from this method. From the reviews, it seems like Dokomi has been enchanting participants with these thoughtful details and improving year after year.

2. Many corners to experience.

I liked that there were many experience booths set up by corporate booths. Not only those who actually tried it had fun, but it also showed efforts to make it enjoyable for spectators as well.

3. The dance area

This was the most interesting place for us.

The dance area also constantly held events for those interested in dance and music, providing things to see and enjoy for those taking a break, and it seemed like a good opportunity for performers to show off their awesome performances.

4. Food availability and location

The fact that they had food trucks and restaurants arranged was great as it prevented people from getting tired from hunger. (Although there were some complaints about the prices…)

There were also people eating food they brought in the resting area, and there were kind people who offered to share their food with us sitting next to them! (I was surprised at this, but I felt warmth!)

5. Kind people who enjoy interaction!

This aspect brought me great joy. I was able to converse freely with people who like the same works as me, and I met many new people and had a good time!

In conclusion, it was a really enjoyable convention for me!

I’m going to start saving again from now on so I can participate again next year…!

Thank you for reading my lengthy report!